Method and apparatus for meta-shopping and dynamic setup of B2B eCommerce

ABSTRACT

A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for generating a customized catalog for an entity or organization. Items from a base catalog are presented to a user located at a remote data processing system. One or more items are selected by a user through a process of “meta-shopping”. The selected items are placed in a set, also referred to as a “meta-shopping cart”, used to generate the customized catalog. Terms for purchasing items in the customized catalog are associated with the customized catalog. Further, a protocol for purchasing items from the customized catalog may be established, and the customized catalog is then placed on a Web site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention provides an improved data processingsystem, in particular a method and apparatus for setting up a customizedcatalog. Still more particularly, the present invention provides amethod, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for setting upa customized catalog for use in a business-to-business relationship.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set ofcomputer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means ofgateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages fromthe sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (withpackets if necessary). When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers tothe collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite ofprotocols.

[0005] The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of bothinformation and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internetsites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informingconsumers of the products or services offered by the business orproviding other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Manyfederal, state, and local government agencies are also employingInternet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies, whichmust interact with virtually all segments of society such as theInternal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providinginformational guides and/or searchable databases of online publicrecords may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becomingincreasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.

[0006] Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring dataover the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, alsocalled simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferringinformation, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but havenot achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, serversand clients effect data transactions using the Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of variousdata files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video,etc.). The information in various data files is formatted forpresentation to a user by a standard page description language, theHypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentationformatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Webresources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is aspecial syntax identifier defining a communications path to specificinformation. Each logical block of information accessible to a client,called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The LRLprovides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing thisinformation, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web“browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request forinformation identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. Auser may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI)for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name isautomatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by adomain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates thesymbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up thedomain name in a database.

[0007] The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications tousers using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individualconsumers and businesses use the Web to purchase various goods andservices. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods andservices solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend theirreach.

[0008] With respect to these commercial activities and others,businesses and other content providers go through a highly manualprocess to set up mechanisms to facilitate business-to-businesscommerce. For example, in setting up customized catalogs for use betweenbusinesses, the items in the catalog are currently set up throughtelephonic communications. A customized catalog is also referred to as a“catalog”. Manual configuration of the catalog as well as various termsand operating conditions also are discussed telephonically. Afteragreement is reached, then the catalog is configured and placed on a Website. Other times, the catalog may be set up through face-to-facemeetings between representatives of the different businesses. Such amechanism takes time and manpower.

[0009] Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved methodand apparatus for setting up a business-to-business commercerelationship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computerimplemented instructions for generating a customized catalog for anentity or organization. Items from a base catalog are presented to auser located at a remote data processing system. One or more items areselected by a user through a process of “meta-shopping”. The selecteditems are placed in a set, also referred to as a “meta-shopping cart”,used to generate the customized catalog. Terms for purchasing items inthe customized catalog are associated with the customized catalog.Further, a protocol for purchasing items from the customized catalog maybe established, and the customized catalog is then placed on a Web site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention areset forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as wellas a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof,will best be understood by reference to the following detaileddescription of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a network of dataprocessing systems in which the present invention may be implemented;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server cluster in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data processing system that may beimplemented as a server in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating components used in a web commerceserver in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process used for setting up a catalogfor business-to-business transaction in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process used for creating a customizedcatalog in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and

[0018]FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process used for negotiating terms andconditions for the business-to-business relationship in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a pictorialrepresentation of a network of data processing systems in which thepresent invention may be implemented. Network data processing system 100is a network of computers in which the present invention may beimplemented. Network data processing system 100 contains a network 102,which is the medium used to provide communications links between variousdevices and computers connected together within network data processingsystem 100. Network 102 may include connections, such as wire, wirelesscommunication links, or fiber optic cables.

[0020] In the depicted example, a server 104 is connected to network 102along with storage unit 106. Further, network data processing system 100also includes server cluster 108 as well as a server 110. In thisexample, server 110 is connected to network 102 through local areanetwork (LAN) 112. In addition, clients 114, 116, and 118 also areconnected to network 102. These clients 114, 116, and 118 maybe, forexample, personal computers or network computers. In the depictedexample, server 104, server cluster 108, and server 110 provide adistributed web commerce server system for processing requests fromclients 114-118. In the depicted examples, server 104, server cluster108 and server 110 may be located in multiple, geographicallydistributed sites. The servers are presented to users, such as those atclients 114-118, as a single website. Additionally, one of the server,such as server 104 may act as a load balancer to receive and directrequests from the clients to the appropriate servers within the system.Network data processing system 100 may include additional servers,clients, and other devices not shown.

[0021] In the depicted examples, network data processing system 100 isthe Internet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection ofnetworks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols tocommunicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backboneof high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or hostcomputers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government,educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Ofcourse, network data processing system 100 also may be implemented as anumber of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet,a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).

[0022]FIG. 1 is intended as an example, and not as an architecturallimitation for the present invention.

[0023] With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a server clusteris depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. Server cluster 200 in this example may be implemented asserver cluster 108 in FIG. 1.

[0024] In this example, servers 202-210 are in communication with eachother through communications system 212, which may take various forms.Communications system 212 may be, for example, a bus, a network, or ashared memory. Communications system 212 is used to handle routing ofrequests and responses directed towards server farm 200.

[0025] Load manager 214 also is connected to communications system 212and serves to receive requests directed to server farm 200 from network216. Load manager 214 also serves to distribute requests to servers202-210 for processing.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a data processing systemthat may be implemented as a server, such as server 104 in FIG. 1, isdepicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. Further, data processing system 300 may be implemented as aserver, such as server 202 with server cluster 200, in FIG. 2.

[0027] Data processing system 300 may be a symmetric multiprocessor(SMP) system including a plurality of processors 302 and 304 connectedto system bus 306.

[0028] Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Alsoconnected to system bus 306 is memory controller/cache 308, whichprovides an interface to local memory 309. I/O bus bridge 310 isconnected to system bus 306 and provides an interface to I/O bus 312.Memory controller/cache 308 and I/O bus bridge 310 may be integrated asdepicted.

[0029] Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge 314 connectedto I/O bus 312 provides an interface to PCI local bus 316. A number ofmodems may be connected to PCI bus 316. Typical PCI bus implementationswill support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.Communications links to network computers 114-118 in FIG. 1 may beprovided through modem 318 and network adapter 320 connected to PCIlocal bus 316 through add-in boards.

[0030] Additional PCI bus bridges 322 and 324 provide interfaces foradditional PCI buses 326 and 328, from which additional modems ornetwork adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processingsystem 300 allows connections to multiple network computers. Amemory-mapped graphics adapter 330 and hard disk 332 may also beconnected to I/O bus 312 as depicted, either directly or indirectly.

[0031] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thehardware depicted in FIG. 3 may vary. For example, other peripheraldevices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used inaddition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted exampleis not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to thepresent invention.

[0032] The data processing system depicted in FIG. 3 may be, forexample, an IBM RISC/System 6000 system, a product of InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the AdvancedInteractive Executive (AIX) operating system.

[0033] Turning next to FIG. 4, a diagram illustrating components used ina web commerce server is depicted in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. In this example, server 400 hostsweb commerce system processes, which may be accessed across theInternet. In particular, these processes are used to facilitateelectronic commerce or e-commerce. E-commerce involves doing businessonline, typically via the Web. E-commerce also is called “e-business,”“e-tailing” and “I-commerce.”

[0034] As illustrated, server 400 includes a secure web server 402,which is used to receive and process requests for information andpurchase orders. In this example, secure web server 402 uses variousknown encryption techniques to provide privacy and security for buyersordering items. Secure web server 402 sends received requests toappropriate components, such as user registration 404, shopping cartengine 406, order engine 408, catalog 410, and business-to-businesssetup 412 for processing. Additionally, secure web server 402 willreceive results and format those results for return to the originator ofthe requests. In these examples, the requests are received in an HTTPformat and placed in the appropriate form for use by other components inserver 400. Further, secure web server 402 will reformat the responsesfrom these components into the appropriate form for return to therequestor.

[0035] User registration 404 is used to identify and register buyers whosubmit purchase orders. Catalog 410 in these examples is used to provideinformation, such as identification of items being sold as well asquantities of these items and descriptions of the items. Shopping cartengine 406 allows a user to store or hold items identified throughcatalog 410 in a “shopping cart.”

[0036] Order engine 408 provides order handling processes to generatepurchase orders from items placed in a shopping cart for a customer.Further, order engine 408 forwards purchase orders for items to aprimary server within the web commerce server system for processing.

[0037] Business-to-business setup 412 is employed to provide for thesetup of catalog items, negotiating of terms and conditions forpurchasing items setup in the catalog, selection of a method/protocolfor buyers to connect and purchase items from the catalog, establishoperational items, and setting up a site for the catalog. In theseexamples, a user may “meta-shop” or select items from catalog 410, whichis a base, general, or public catalog. Upon a request from a user, theitems placed in the shopping cart through these selections are used togenerate customized catalog 414. Various terms and conditions also maybe associated with customized catalog 414. Further, customized catalog414 may also be sent to a user for use locally by the user.

[0038] The components shown in FIG. 4 are for illustrative purposes andnot meant as limitations to the implementation of the present invention.Other components may be used in addition to or in place of theillustrated components for providing web commerce services.

[0039] Turning next to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a process used for settingup a catalog for business-to-business transaction is depicted inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Theprocess illustrated in FIG. 5 may be implemented in business-to-businesssetup 412 in FIG. 4.

[0040] The process begins with meta-shopping (step 500). In setting up acatalog of items for a buying organization, the idea of a “meta-shoppingcart” is used. The selling organization sets up an on-line catalog astypically found on Web sites today. A buying organization or entity“meta-shops” at the site selecting items. The items, however, are notitems that are to be bought at the present time, but rather items thatthe entity may be interested in potentially buying at a later time. Thistype of shopping is referred to as “meta-” shopping. The items selectedby the user are stored in the meta-shopping cart. This cart containsitems that the user selects for possible future purchases by the entityrepresented by the user. The user can select broad classes of items forinclusion in the meta-shopping cart, for example, all laptop computersavailable in the general catalog. When the user is finished, a meta-buybutton may be selected to initiate a function to create a privatecatalog. In the depicted examples, the user is prompted for informationabout the organization, an organization i.d., a password, and otherinformation, which is used to set up and control access to the catalogfor the entity. The catalog is then populated with the items placed inthe meta-shopping cart. Default prices from the base catalog areassociated with the items in the private catalog.

[0041] Next, terms and conditions are negotiated (step 502). After thecatalog setup, then the user may negotiate terms and conditions forpurchasing items set up in the catalog. The catalog is set up withdefault terms and conditions including base prices, delivery times,associated volumes, locations served, order cancellation periods,returns, and any associated penalty, payment methods and terms, andother contractual terms and conditions.

[0042] The method or protocol by which a buyer connects and orders itemsfrom the catalog at the seller's site is negotiated (step 504). In theseexamples, the default method is to provide for shopping directly fromthe seller's site from the catalog. Other methods that may be usedinclude, for example, protocols such as Ariba's punchout, which is aremote catalog process, Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) protocol, OpenCatalog Interface (OCI), or any other protocol that may be employed forfacilitating transactions. Selection of the protocol typically requiresspecification of related items, such as universal resource locators(URLs), certificate information, and other items that may be used forestablishing a connection. After this step is completed, the usercompletes selection of the protocol for shopping and ordering at theseller's site.

[0043] Then, operational items are negotiated (step 506). Theseoperational items include service level agreements for buying under theterms agreed to in the steps described above. These agreements includeitems, such as seller's site response time, availability of items,contacts for problems, errors, non-delivery, and other related items. Inthese examples, the representative for the entity may agree to defaultoperational terms, select from selectable items, or negotiate specificitems. At the end of this step, each party either electronically signsthe agreement or papers for the agreement are exchanged and signed.

[0044] The site is then configured (step 508). The setting up of thesite in step 508 involves setting up the site according to the terms ofthe agreement reached in the steps described above. Next, thebusiness-to-business shopping process is executed (step 510). After thesite is set up, the entity is notified that the catalog is up and readyfor receiving purchase orders. Selected users from the entity then shopand place orders from the private catalog, using the protocol thusestablished. At any point thereafter, a determination is made as towhether to re-negotiate (step 512). If re-negotiating will not takeplace, a determination is made as to whether to terminate (step 514)with the process terminating thereafter if so.

[0045] With reference again to step 512, if re-negotiating will occur,the process returns to step 500. Turning back to step 514, if theprocess will not terminate, the process returns to step 510.

[0046] Turning next to FIG. 6, a flowchart of a process used forcreating a customized catalog is depicted in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. The process illustrated in FIG. 6may be implemented in business-to-business setup 412 in FIG. 4.

[0047] The process begins by browsing and selecting catalog items (step600). These items are selected from a base or publicly availablecatalog. This catalog contains items that normally may be purchased fromthe entity providing items for purchase. Next, items are added tometa-shopping cart (step 602). A determination is made as to whethermeta-shopping is finished (step 604). If meta-shopping is finished, useraccess information is retrieved (step 606). A private or customizedcatalog is created and populated with meta-shopping-cart items, pricesand access controls are defaulted with user access information (step608) with the process terminating thereafter.

[0048] With reference again to step 604, if meta-shopping is notfinished, the process returns to step 600.

[0049] Turning next to FIG. 7, a flowchart of a process used fornegotiating terms and conditions for the business-to-businessrelationship is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. The process illustrated in FIG. 7 may beimplemented in business-to-business setup 412 in FIG. 4.

[0050] The process begins by presenting default negotiate terms andconditions (step 700). Next, a determination is made as to whether thedefault prices and terms are acceptable (step 702). If the defaultprices and terms are not acceptable, items are selected from thecustomized catalog by the user for negotiation, and these selected itemsto negotiate are received by the seller (step 704). Then, a bid isreceived from the user for the item (step 706). A determination is thenmade as to whether any additional items are present to negotiate (step708). If there are not any additional items to negotiate, the bid orcounterbid complete is submitted and a response is generated (step 710).This response may be generated by a program, for example, using rulesfor volume and price, or may be generated by a person using a workflowsystem, who examines the bids and generates a response. The response isthen sent to the user (step 712). A determination is made as to whetherthe response is acceptable to the user (step 714). If the response isacceptable, the bid is accepted (step 716). Then, a determination ismade as to whether there are any additional items to negotiate (step718). If there are no additional items to negotiate, the processterminates.

[0051] With reference again to step 702, if the default prices and termsare acceptable, the process terminates. Turning back to step 708, ifadditional items are present to negotiate, the process returns to step704. With reference again to step 714, if the response is notacceptable, a determination is made as to whether to counterbid (step720). If a counterbid is made, the process returns to step 710. If acounterbid is not made, the process returns to step 716

[0052] Thus, the present invention provides an improved method,apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for setting up acustomized catalog and establishing a mechanism for business-to-businesstransactions. In addition to the particular implementation describedabove, additional features and variations may be made. For example, inmeta-buying items as described above, in addition to populating acatalog at the seller's site for the user, meta-shopping cart items maybe assembled in a message and sent back to the user. This meta-shoppingcart may be converted into an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) basedformat and returned to the user in a hidden field. The user may post themeta-shopping cart results to a local catalog application at the buyer'ssite to populate a local private catalog with these items.

[0053] Further, the user may meta-shop at multiple remote sites andcreate a local catalog that is comprised of selected items fromdifferent selling sites. Orders placed on items from the local catalogmay then be formatted into purchase orders in an XML format and sent tocorresponding selling entities.

[0054] As a further variation on the mechanism of the present invention,meta-shopping cart items may be assembled in an XML message and returnedto the user. The user then posts this meta-shopping cart to a localcatalog application, such as a catalog application on a workstation orpersonal digital assistant. The browsing and ordering from the catalogmay be performed locally and possibly when disconnected from thenetwork. When the user reconnects to the network, the order is then sentto the server using the negotiated protocol as described above.

[0055] It is important to note that while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of a fully functioning data processing system,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes ofthe present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of acomputer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and thatthe present invention applies equally regardless of the particular typeof signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution.Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, suchas a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, andtransmission-type media, such as digital and analog communicationslinks, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms,such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. Thecomputer readable media may take the form of coded formats that aredecoded for actual use in a particular data processing system.

[0056] The description of the present invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art. Although the depicted illustrations show the mechanism ofthe present invention embodied on a single server, this mechanism may bedistributed through multiple data processing systems. The embodiment waschosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theinvention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the invention for various embodimentswith various modifications as are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a data processing system forestablishing a customized catalog, the method comprising: placing itemsin a meta-shopping cart in response to a selection of the items by auser; and generating the customized catalog using items in themeta-shopping cart in response to a request to generate the customizedcatalog; and placing the catalog on a Web site.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: allowing purchases from the catalog on the Web siteby a selected buyer.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selectedbuyer is the user.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is one ofan individual, a business, and a government entity.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: processing orders to purchase items from thecustomized catalog.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:establishing terms for purchasing an item from the customized catalog.7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of establishing terms forpurchasing an item from the catalog comprises: presenting a set ofdefault terms to the user; and negotiating a final set of terms from theset of default terms to form the terms for purchasing an item from thecustomized catalog.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the terms includesat least one of purchases prices for the items, minimum quantities ofitems to be purchased, order cancellation policies, shipping prices,delivery times, locations allowed to purchase from the customizedcatalog, and payment methods.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: sending the items to the user in response to the request togenerate the customized catalog.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein theitems are converted into an extensible markup language format.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the web site is located at a user location.12. A method in a first data processing system for generating acustomized catalog, the method comprising: presenting a plurality ofitems to a user located at a second data processing system; placing anitem from the plurality of items in a set in response to a selection ofthe item by the user; and generating the customized catalog in responseto a request indicating that that the set is complete.
 13. The method ofclaim 12 further comprising: negotiating terms for purchasing items inthe customized catalog.
 14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:establishing a protocol for purchasing items from the customizedcatalog.
 15. The method of claim 12 further comprising: establishingoperational items.
 16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:placing the catalog on a Web site.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe placing step includes: establishing the Web site.
 18. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the protocol provides for buyers purchase items byconnecting to a Web site provided by a seller of the catalog.
 19. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the protocol is at least one of an Ariba'spunch out, Open Buying on the Internet protocol, and an Open CatalogInterface.
 20. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending thecustomized catalog to a user location.
 21. The method of claim 20,wherein browsing and ordering from the catalog occurs locally at theuser location.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein browsing and orderingoccurs when the user location is disconnected from a network.
 23. Amethod in a first data processing system for generating a customizedcatalog, the method comprising: presenting a plurality of items to auser located at a second data processing system; placing an item fromthe set of items in a set in response to a selection of the item by theuser; generating the customized catalog in response to a requestindicating that that the set is complete; negotiating terms forpurchasing items in the customized catalog; establishing a protocol forpurchasing items from the customized catalog; and placing the customizedcatalog on a Web site.
 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:establishing operational items.
 25. A data processing system forestablishing a catalog, the data processing system comprising: first,placing means for placing items in a meta-shopping cart in response to aselection of the items by the user; and generating means for generatingthe customized catalog using items in the meta-shopping cart in responseto a request to generate the customized catalog; and second, placingmeans for placing the catalog on a Web site.
 26. The data processingsystem of claim 25 further comprising: allowing means for allowingpurchases from the catalog on the Web site by a selected buyer.
 27. Thedata processing system of claim 26, wherein the selected buyer is theuser.
 28. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the user isone of an individual, a business, and a government entity.
 29. The dataprocessing system of claim 25 further comprising: processing means forprocessing orders to purchase items from the customized catalog.
 30. Thedata processing system of claim 25 further comprising: establishingmeans for establishing terms for purchasing an item from the catalog.31. The data processing system of claim 30, wherein the establishingmeans comprises: presenting means for presenting a set of default termsto the user; and negotiating means for negotiating a final set of termsfrom the set of default terms to form the terms for purchasing an itemform the catalog.
 32. The data processing system of claim 30, whereinthe terms includes at least one of purchases prices for the items,minimum quantities of items to be purchased, order cancellationpolicies, shipping prices, delivery times, locations allowed to purchasefrom the catalog, and payment methods.
 33. The data processing system ofclaim 25, further comprising: sending means for sending the items to theuser in response to the request to generate the customized catalog. 34.The data processing system of claim 33, wherein the items are convertedinto an extensible markup language format.
 35. The data processingsystem of claim 25, wherein the web site is located at a user location.36. A data processing system in a first data processing system forgenerating a customized catalog, the data processing system comprising:presenting means for presenting a plurality of items to a user locatedat a second data processing system; placing means for placing an itemfrom the plurality of items in a set in response to a selection of theitem by the user; and generating means for generating the customizedcatalog in response to a request indicating that that the set iscomplete.
 37. The data processing system of claim 36 further comprising:negotiating means for negotiating terms for purchasing items in thecustomized catalog.
 38. The data processing system of claim 36 furthercomprising: establishing means for establishing a protocol forpurchasing items from the customized catalog.
 39. The data processingsystem of claim 36 further comprising: establishing means forestablishing operational items.
 40. The data processing system of claim36 further comprising: placing means for placing the catalog on a Website.
 41. The data processing system of claim 40, wherein the placingmeans includes: establishing means the Web site.
 42. The data processingsystem of claim 38, wherein the protocol provides for buyers purchaseitems by connecting to a Web site provided by a seller of the catalog.43. The data processing system of claim 38, wherein the protocol is atleast one of an Ariba's punch out, Open Buying on the Internet protocol,and a SAP punchout process.
 44. The data processing system of claim 36,further comprising sending the customized catalog to a user location.45. The data processing system of claim 44, wherein browsing andordering from the catalog occurs locally at the user location.
 46. Thedata processing system of claim 44, wherein browsing and ordering occurswhen the user location is disconnected from a network.
 47. A dataprocessing system in a first data processing system for generating ancustomized catalog, the data processing system comprising: presentingmeans for presenting a plurality of items to a user located at a seconddata processing system; placing means for placing an item from the setof items in a set in response to a selection of the item by the user;generating means for generating the customized catalog in response to arequest indicating that that the set is complete; negotiating means fornegotiating terms for purchasing items in the customized catalog;establishing means for establishing a protocol for purchasing items fromthe customized catalog; and placing means for placing the customizedcatalog on a Web site.
 48. The method of claim 47, wherein theestablishing means is a first establishing means and further comprising:second establishing means for establishing operational items.
 49. A dataprocessing system comprising: a bus system; a communications unitconnected to the bus, wherein data is sent and received using thecommunications unit; a memory connected to the bus system, wherein a setof instructions are located in the memory; and a processor unitconnected to the bus system, wherein the processor unit executes the setof instructions to place items in a meta-shopping cart in response to aselection of the items by a user, generate the customized catalog usingitems in the meta-shopping cart in response to a request to generate thecustomized catalog, and place the catalog on a Web site.
 50. The dataprocessing system of claim 49, wherein the bus system includes a primarybus and a secondary bus.
 51. The data processing system of claim 49,wherein the processor unit includes a single processor.
 52. The dataprocessing system of claim 49, wherein the processor unit includes aplurality of processors.
 53. The data processing system of claim 49,wherein the communications unit is an Ethernet adapter.
 54. The dataprocessing system of claim 49 wherein the processor unit furtherexecutes the set of instructions to establish terms for purchasing anitem from the customized catalog.
 55. The data processing system ofclaim 54, wherein the processor unit further executes the set ofinstructions to present a set of default terms to the user, andnegotiate a final set of terms from the set of default terms to form theterms for purchasing an item from the customized catalog.
 56. The dataprocessing system of claim 54, wherein the terms includes at least oneof purchases prices for the items, minimum quantities of items to bepurchased, order cancellation policies, shipping prices, delivery times,locations allowed to purchase from the customized catalog, and paymentmethods.
 57. The data processing system of claim 49, wherein theprocessor unit further executes the set of instructions to send theitems to the user in response to the request to generate the customizedcatalog.
 58. The data processing system of claim 57, wherein the itemsare converted into an extensible markup language format.
 59. The dataprocessing system of claim 49, wherein the web site is located at a userlocation.
 60. A data processing system comprising: a bus system; acommunications unit connected to the bus, wherein data is sent andreceived using the communications unit; a memory connected to the bussystem, wherein a set of instructions are located in the memory; and aprocessor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processor unitexecutes the set of instructions to present a plurality of items to auser located at a second data processing system, place an item from theplurality of items in a set in response to a selection of the item bythe user, and generate the customized catalog in response to a requestindicating that that the set is complete.
 61. The data processing systemof claim 60, wherein the processor unit further executes the set ofinstructions to negotiate terms for purchasing items in the customizedcatalog.
 62. The data processing system of claim 60, wherein theprocessor unit further executes instructions to establish a protocol forpurchasing items from the customized catalog.
 63. The data processingsystem of claim 60, wherein the processor unit further executes the setof instructions to establish operational items.
 64. The data processingsystem of claim 60, wherein the processor unit further executesinstructions to place the catalog on a Web site.
 65. The data processingsystem of claim 64, wherein the processor unit further executesinstructions to establish the Web site.
 66. The data processing systemof claim 62, wherein the protocol provides for buyers purchase items byconnecting to a Web site provided by a seller of the catalog.
 67. Thedata processing system of claim 62, wherein the protocol is at least oneof an Ariba's punch out, Open Buying on the Internet protocol, and a SAPpunchout process.
 68. The data processing system of claim 60, whereinthe processor unit further executes the set of instructions to send thecustomized catalog to a user location.
 69. The data processing system ofclaim 68, wherein browsing and ordering from the catalog occurs locallyat the user location.
 70. The data processing system of claim 68,wherein browsing and ordering occurs when the user location isdisconnected from a network.
 71. A data processing system comprising: abus system; a communications unit connected to the bus, wherein data issent and received using the communications unit; a memory connected tothe bus system, wherein a set of instructions are located in the memory;and a processor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processorunit executes the set of instructions to present a plurality of items toa user located at a second data processing system, place an item fromthe set of items in a set in response to a selection of the item by theuser, generate the customized catalog in response to a requestindicating that that the set is complete, negotiate terms for purchasingitems in the customized catalog, establish a protocol for purchasingitems from the customized catalog, and place the customized catalog on aWeb site.
 72. The data processing system of claim 71, wherein theprocessor unit further executes the set of instructions to establishoperational items.
 73. A computer program product in a computer readablemedium for establishing a catalog, the computer program productcomprising: first instructions for placing items in a meta-shopping cartin response to a selection of the items by a user; second instructionsfor generating the customized catalog using items in the meta-shoppingcart in response to a request to generate the customized catalog; andthird instructions for placing the catalog on a Web site.
 74. Thecomputer program product of claim 73 further comprising: fourthinstructions for allowing purchases from the catalog on the Web site bya selected buyer.
 75. The computer program product of claim 74, whereinthe selected buyer is the user.
 76. The computer program product ofclaim 73, wherein the user is one of an individual, a business, and agovernment entity.
 77. The computer program product of claim 73 furthercomprising: fourth instructions for processing orders to purchase itemsfrom the customized catalog.
 78. The computer program product of claim73 further comprising: fourth instructions for establishing terms forpurchasing an item from the catalog.
 79. The computer program product ofclaim 78, wherein the fourth instruction comprises: firstsub-instructions for presenting a set of default terms to the user; andsecond sub-instructions for negotiating a final set of terms from theset of default terms to form the terms for purchasing an item form thecatalog.
 80. The computer program product of claim 78, wherein the termsincludes at least one of purchases prices for the items, minimumquantities of items to be purchased, order cancellation policies,shipping prices, delivery times, locations allowed to purchase from thecatalog, and payment methods.
 81. The computer program product of claim73, further comprising: fourth instructions for sending the items to theuser in response to the request to generate the customized catalog. 82.The computer program product of claim 81, wherein the items areconverted into an extensible markup language format.
 83. The computerprogram product of claim 73, wherein the web site is located at a userlocation.
 84. A computer program product in a computer readable mediumin a first data processing system for generating a customized catalog,the computer program product comprising: first instructions forpresenting a plurality of items to a user located at a second dataprocessing system; second instructions for placing an item from theplurality of items in a set in response to a selection of the item bythe user; and third instructions for generating the customized catalogin response to a request indicating that that the set is complete. 85.The computer program product of claim 84 further comprising: fourthinstructions for negotiating terms for purchasing items in thecustomized catalog.
 86. The computer program product of claim 84 furthercomprising: fourth instructions for establishing a protocol forpurchasing items from the customized catalog.
 87. The computer programproduct of claim 84 further comprising: fourth instructions forestablishing operational items.
 88. The computer program product ofclaim 84 further comprising: fourth instructions for placing the catalogon a Web site.
 89. The computer program product of claim 88, wherein thefourth instruction includes: instructions for establishing the Web site.90. The computer program product of claim 86, wherein the protocolprovides for buyers purchase items by connecting to a Web site providedby a seller of the catalog.
 91. The computer program product of claim86, wherein the protocol is at least one of an Ariba's punch out, OpenBuying on the Internet protocol, and a SAP punchout process.
 92. Thecomputer program product of claim 84, further comprising: fourthinstructions for sending the customized catalog to a user location. 93.The computer program product of claim 92, wherein browsing and orderingfrom the catalog occurs locally at the user location.
 94. The computerprogram product of claim 92, wherein browsing and ordering occurs whenthe user location is disconnected from the network.
 95. A computerprogram product in a computer readable medium in a first data processingsystem for generating a customized catalog, the computer program productcomprising: first instructions for presenting a plurality of items to auser located at a second data processing system; second instructions forplacing an item from the set of items in a set in response to aselection of the item by the user; third instructions for generating thecustomized catalog in response to a request indicating that that the setis complete; fourth instructions for negotiating terms for purchasingitems in the customized catalog; fifth instructions for establishing aprotocol for purchasing items from the customized catalog; and sixthinstructions for placing the customized catalog on a Web site.
 96. Thecomputer program product of claim 95 further comprising: sixthinstructions for establishing operational items.